Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball up court. Jacob Kupferman Getty Images
In the aftermath of a week that had more than its share of peaks and valleys, Charles Lee gave his take on the state of things.
“I’ve been really happy about our growth,” the Charlotte Hornets coach said Monday night. “One thing that excites me is we have so far to go. I think that we are not a finished product — we have not even played some of our best basketball. We haven’t had everybody healthy at one time, so there’s still a lot more than we can do on both ends to get better.
“The thing that I love about this group is nobody makes excuses, everybody comes to work every day. No matter who’s out, whatever adversity we might be going through after a loss or something, there’s no excuses made. There’s an own-it mentality and mindset. ‘How can I learn from it, and grow from it and then apply it the next day?’ And that’s really exciting to coach.”
Even with their rollercoaster tendencies.
Take this last week for instance, capped by Monday night’s 117-109 loss to the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome, an outing where the offense sputtered in the fourth quarter and their defense betrayed them a bit in crunch time.
In a matter of eight days, the Hornets (14-26) have gone from pummeling the defending champion in Oklahoma City to losing consecutive games at home to Toronto and Indiana in gut-wrenching fashion to recording the largest margin of victory on the road in franchise history by pounding Utah.
Mix it in with dropping another outing to the team that really has their number — the Clippers have now rattled off 16 straight wins against the Hornets, which is currently the NBA’s second-longest active losing streak versus an opponent — and it’s been quite a ride. They’re still searching for consistency.
But at least there’s a silver lining: good health.
For once, things appear to be moving in the right direction in the injury department. Grant Williams has played in the last two games, making his season debut after spending the past 14 months rehabilitating a torn right ACL. He’s come off the bench in both appearances, adding depth to the Hornets’ reserve front line corps.
Ryan Kalkbrenner also returned to the lineup after missing two weeks of action and played in the past two matchups, serving as the backup center in Utah and in the first half against the Clippers before being reinserted into Hornets’ starting unit in the second half.
Moussa Diabate of the Charlotte Hornets and Ivica Zubac #40 of the LA Clippers in the first half at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Ronald Martinez Getty Images
The duo provide Lee with more options and allows for various new floor combinations.
“I was way more excited for a couple of the guys that have been out for an extended period of time,” Lee said. “With somebody like Grant, having basketball taken away from you for a year-plus and knowing how much he loves the game, knowing how much he loves to compete and be out there with his teammates ... And he’s done a phenomenal job throughout his whole rehab process of still being engaged with the team, still coaching during timeouts, trying to integrate himself as best as he can.
“To see him out there and know how much he loves the game, I’m really excited for Grant. And juggling all the depth and minutes is another thing.”
Here’s what the Hornets had to say of note in Los Angeles:
On what stands out about Kon Knueppel’s rookie season:
“He came in understanding defensively he was going to get picked on,” Lee said. “He was going to have to embrace the fact that he was going to be involved in a lot of actions, and guys were going to try to go at him. He was ready for it. And I think he prepared for it. Whether it be on the court with his technique of how he can get better, he prepared for it in the weight room with understanding the level of physicality he was going to have to play with and then also his film study.
James Harden of the LA Clippers makes a shot against Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets making him 9th on the NBA all-time scoring list during the second half at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Ronald Martinez Getty Images
“He does a great job of understanding tendencies and seeing how he can do a better job in our coverages and having a multiple effort mindset. He truly wants to impact both ends of the floor. He’s understood he can play off what was going on with Brandon and Melo (Ball) and all the gravity that they attract. He’s taken advantage of it and knocked down some shots. … I’ve seen him grow as a screener. He’s just a really good all-around player. The thing I love about him is he wants to impact every possession that he’s a part of.”
Said Knueppel: “I just try to make the right play. I think when you stick to that, and you try to have a physical presence out there and you play hard, in this league it will take you far.”
On what Collin Sexton, who sat out with left hamstring soreness, brings:
“Collin’s been great for our group,” Lee said. “He’s brought an edge to our group. The passion that he plays with, he’s just so edgy on both ends of the court. You can see the defensive impact when he gets in there and is picking up full court and is playing with physicality getting deflections, it really starts to spark whatever unit he’s out there with.
“And offensively, we want to play with pace and he’s a big part of that because he’s able to be a one-man fastbreak at times but he’s also willing to pass ahead, pass across. How he operates, every day, his energy, his professionalism, he’s really fit into our culture.”
On line between playing solid defense and being too aggressive:
“There’s so many different ways you can be physical with somebody instead of whacking him and letting that guy get to the free throw line to see an easy one go in,” Lee said. “I think our team trusts one another. They understand that if I can do my job at the highest level and I slide my feel and show my hands, I think we are one of the better teams in coming over and blocking shots from the weak side.
“Whether it’s our ‘5’ men, in transition Brandon Miller has been phenomenal in occupying second contests … And so the trust …. it helps our guys have that confidence of being physical without crossing that line.”